The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Sure enough, the obituary news of Concubine Li reached various mansions in Beijing that night.

Everyone was surprised. After all, Mrs. Li was fine before, but she was gone. There was no news in advance.

Some well-informed people also heard that a large number of maids and eunuchs in the Changchun Palace were executed that day, and based on this they deduced many facts.

But no matter what, each family still did not dare to neglect and immediately packed them into the palace.

Although Mrs. Li was only a concubine and had not even been promoted to a noble concubine, no one dared to look down upon her simply because she was the biological mother of the current emperor.

As for Jia Lian, after making urgent arrangements for the patrol work in Xicheng, he immediately returned home to send Jia Mu and others to the palace to express their condolences.

Although there were many civil and military ministers and internal and external orders, condolences were carried out in an orderly manner. After all, the palace and the Ministry of Rites had long had familiar and complete regulations on such matters.

The incident that Jia Lian was worried about being angered by Emperor Ning Kang did not happen. One night, he did not even see Emperor Ning Kang's face.

When she returned home after midnight that night, Sister Feng mysteriously told Jia Lian that she felt there was something behind the death of Concubine Li.

Look at her extremely solemn look, which is both showing off and conveying news.

Jia Lian asked her what the inside story was.

Sister Feng whispered: "They all said that Concubine Li was actually sent to death by the Supreme Emperor..."

Jia Lian's face was calm when he heard this, but he frowned in his heart.

The people Sister Feng mentioned were obviously the wives of Gaoming from other mansions.

It seems that although the palace has blocked news, it has little effect. Even Sister Feng heard about it, but she didn't know how the news spread secretly.

This is definitely not a good sign for him.

He naturally knows much more than people like Sister Feng. He now knows that Concubine Li was sent to death by the Supreme Emperor, and this afternoon, Emperor Ning Kang knelt in front of the Chonghua Palace to plead for Concubine Li!

Obviously, the Supreme Emperor did not show any favor to Emperor Ningkang.

The Supreme Emperor was Emperor Ningkang's biological and royal father. Emperor Ningkang did not dare to do anything to the Supreme Emperor, but it did not mean that he had no hatred in his heart.

At this time, "rumors" that were damaging to Concubine Li's reputation were flying all over the place and reached Emperor Ning Kang's ears. One can imagine his mood.

However, perhaps among these rumors, his name, Lord Jia Dahou, was mentioned.

Putting himself in his shoes, Jia Lian felt that if he were Emperor Ning Kang, he would feel disgusted when he saw him.

Even though he knew this, Jia Lian had no way to resolve it.

All he can do now is to reduce his presence as much as possible and wait for the storm to subside.

But he also knew that Sister Feng was a good person and was somewhat bold in her nature. In the following time, she would go to the palace to express her condolences every day. If she didn't know how serious the offense was at the hands of Emperor Ning Kang, it would inevitably affect him.

After thinking about it, he decided to tell her everything that happened this morning and warned her to be careful in her words and deeds in the palace to avoid bringing disaster to him.

Sure enough, Sister Feng, who originally looked like a spectator and a busybody, suddenly became alarmed and frightened after hearing about Concubine Li's death and her powerful relationship with Jia Lian.

She didn't expect that before she knew it, Jia Lian had already experienced such a huge crisis.

So he quickly promised: "Don't worry, don't I know how powerful I am? I promise that from now on in the palace, I won't say a word or listen to a word, and I will be deaf and mute!"

Jia Lian is still relieved about this. Sister Feng, as long as you explain things clearly to her, she can do better than anyone else.

So he ended the secret conversation with Sister Feng, asked her about the arrangements for the guests at home, and asked the maid to come in to serve and change clothes.

"Uncle Xing and aunt arranged to stay temporarily in the outer courtyard of Dongkuaoyuan. As for Xiuyan, the old lady wanted them to live in the garden so that they could have company.

I thought it would be troublesome to clean up the house now, so I arranged for her to live with Yatou Ying.

As for Bao Qin, the old lady decided that she would live in her own house without us having to worry about her.

However, my sister-in-law's aunt, seeing that our family was getting busy, wanted to say goodbye. It was the wife who said that her eldest sister-in-law had rarely seen visitors from her parents' family for so many years, so she asked the aunt and nephew to have a good talk before finally letting her stay.

So I, together with her and my sister-in-law's two girls, also arranged to live in Daoxiang Village. Anyway, the buildings there are spacious and there are many. "

Jia Lian nodded and looked at the girl in front of him.

Sister Feng put Jia Lian's robe on the side, turned around and saw his eyes, and couldn't help but smile: "Second Master is thinking, is she Xiao Qin or Xiang Ling?"

Jia Lian had no choice but to ask: "When did Xiao Qin go back?"

"Why, the second master is still reluctant to let go? Otherwise, I can help you bring her back?"

Hearing this, Xiang Ling, who had spent two inhuman days in Dongfu, suddenly raised her head and looked at Jia Lian aggrievedly, causing Jia Lian to reach out and touch her head.

"Since she has gone back, why call her back?"

Sister Feng couldn't tell whether Jia Lian's tone was regretful, so she looked at Jia Lian twice and said with a smile: "The concubine died of illness, and Sister-in-law Zhen also came to the palace to express her condolences. I thought there must be no one to take care of the house over there. , let her go back."

In fact, although Qin Keqing was very sensible, Sister Feng still felt greatly threatened during the two days here.

She had to admit that when it came to femininity, she couldn't compare to him.

Therefore, he used this reason to drive the other party back.

Moreover, Qin Keqing was originally her idea to comfort Jia Lian.

Now that the goal has been achieved, there is no need to keep the other party for a long time. Sister Feng understands the principle of "too much is not enough" in everything. Naturally, she will not let Jia Lian feel overwhelmed all at once.

Jia Lian was not worried about Sister Feng's plans.

Qin Keqing was flirting, but after not seeing his little Xiangling for two days, he found that she seemed to be more well-behaved.

Moreover, after changing identities with Qin Keqing this time, he felt that not only was she still as well-behaved as ever, but she also had an inexplicably more enchanting attitude about her.

This point made Jia Lian fall in love with Cong Sheng, so he no longer knew whether he was more worried than happy or happy about the exchange of their identities.

……

As Jia Lian expected, someone did cause trouble because of Concubine Li's death.

First, the Jin Yiwei went out to arrest literati in the streets and markets. The crime is to discuss palace matters and slander the reputation of noble people.

Yan Zhijian, the censor's official convict, also remonstrated, saying that Emperor Ning Kang should not be charged with speech crimes. This move was no less generous than the literary prison of the previous dynasty, and it was not the work of a wise king.

This angered Emperor Ningkang Long Yan and killed the leader directly with a stick, while the rest were all thrown into prison.

This incident undoubtedly caused panic.

Only then did everyone realize that the emperor was really going to kill people when he was angry.

And Emperor Ningkang, even if he is suppressed by the Supreme Emperor, he is still the emperor!

There were also people who did not believe in evil and felt that the Chonghua Palace would not allow Emperor Ningkang to act as he pleased, and some even secretly reported to the Chonghua Palace.

But the final result was not what they expected.

The arrested literati were not released, and the officials in the prison were not released.

As a result, people inside and outside the palace became more alert, and no one dared to talk about it in public.

On this day, after Jia Lian went to the palace to pay filial piety as usual, he was finally summoned by Emperor Ningkang.

Jia Lian immediately regained his composure and followed the eunuch who delivered the order to the south study room.

At this time, the palace was full of elements, even the south study room was no exception. Emperor Ningkang was also dressed in plain clothes, with a filial piety belt on his head, but from Jia Lian's perspective, he felt that Emperor Ningkang was sharper than before.

Emperor Ningkang finished handling the matters in his hands, looked up at Jia Lian, and said, "I heard you say before that you were arranging special training for the firearms battalion out of the city. Why is there no movement?"

"Reporting to your Majesty, I have already started arranging for the officers and soldiers to leave the city yesterday. But because of the national mourning, I did not dare to make a big fanfare, so I only arranged the arrangements in batches and did not inform your Majesty. This is the crime of a humble minister."

Emperor Ning Kang nodded. Jia Lian always gets his attention when doing things, and he likes this most in a steady and meticulous manner.

He also thought of this incident by chance today and thought of calling Jia Lian over to ask.

Seeing that Jia Lian had arranged everything but didn't have time to report to him, his mind changed and he already knew the reason.

As an emperor, he knew that some ministers seeking fame would still want to see him even if they had nothing to do. Even officials outside Beijing would like to give him a greeting memorial if they had nothing to do.

But Jia Lian has not come to see him for several days, not even a memorial.

So after stretching his muscles, Emperor Ning Kang stood up and walked to Jia Lian.

Seeing Jia Lian involuntarily bending his tall body, Emperor Ningkang said: "There have been a lot of gossips in the government and the public recently. I wonder if Aiqing knows about it and what he thinks about it."

Jia Lian's eyes were surprised, and he shook his head, "I have been busy with things in the camp recently, and there is a sudden national funeral. I work at three o'clock every day, and I have little time to spare, but I have never heard any words."

"Really? Since I don't know, I will let you know."

"There are rumors in the government and the public that Concubine Li is jealous of the Queen Mother and wants to do harm to her, so she is deeply disliked by the Emperor.

Some people even say that Concubine Li died this time because her conspiracy to frame the Queen Mother failed and she was ordered to die by the Supreme Emperor. "

When Jia Lian heard this, he immediately knelt down and said: "This is the nonsense of an ignorant person, your Majesty must not believe it."

"Oh, tell me, is Mrs. Li guilty?"

When Emperor Ning Kang spoke, he looked at Jia Lian quietly.

Jia Lian said: "How dare you, a humble minister, speak ill of the concubine..."

After saying the false words, Jia Lian raised his head and glanced at Emperor Ning Kang. Seeing his calm expression, he was obviously not satisfied with his answer.

So he suppressed the anxiety in his heart and added: "I am a foreign minister and have never had much interaction with the concubine, so I am naturally not qualified to judge the concubine.

However, even if the minister does not know the concubine, how can he not know the majesty?

Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has served the Supreme Emperor and commanded all civil and military officials. He has been working hard and caring for the people.

Even if others don't know this, as a trusted minister of His Majesty, how can we not see it?

This is not just a lie. Your Majesty’s benevolence, filial piety, civility and martial arts are not as good as those of the wise rulers of the past dynasties!

I am deeply happy to be able to serve a monarch like Your Majesty, and I am also grateful and proud that our Wei Dynasty has such a sage king like Your Majesty.

Your Majesty is the son of the concubine.

For this alone, the concubine has made tremendous contributions to the country of Wei Dynasty.

Therefore, with my limited knowledge, I really don’t know what the concubine’s crime is. "

Emperor Ningkang stood quietly, looking at Jia Lian who was getting more and more excited as he talked, with mixed feelings in his heart.

He knew Jia Lian well, so he was not surprised by the flattery.

It's just that Jia Lian said something that really touched his heart.

Yes, even though Mrs. Li was wrong in all kinds of ways, she was his biological mother after all, so how could she not be spared her death?

Even a foreign minister understands the truth, how can the father be less than his mother and son!

Regardless of what he was thinking, Emperor Ning Kang still said: "I heard that something happened in the imperial garden on the day the concubine passed away. You were also present at the time. What do you know?"

Jia Lian looked panicked and immediately apologized: "I dare not deceive Your Majesty. What happened in the Imperial Garden that day was actually caused by a minor official..."

"That day, after I met Your Majesty, I was summoned to the Royal Garden by the Queen Mother's attendants.

Later I found out that it was not the Queen Mother who summoned the minister, but Princess Zhaoyang who used the name of the Queen Mother to summon the minister to the Imperial Garden for a talk.

But he happened to be discovered by the Supreme Emperor.

Your Majesty also knows that the previous incident between the minister and Princess Zhaoyang has already made the Supreme Emperor displeased.

The Emperor was even more furious that day. If Princess Zhaoyang hadn't tried her best to take away the blame in front of the Supreme Emperor and risked her life to intercede for her, I am afraid that Wei Chen would not have survived that day.

What makes Wei Chen feel guilty and uncomfortable is that Wei Chen was unscathed that day, but Princess Zhaoyang lost her position as the eldest princess because of this. "

Jia Lian's expression changes with the words, so natural that no one can see any adulteration.

If Emperor Ning Kang had not clearly investigated what happened that day, he would have been deceived by Jia Lian.

He frowned and said, "That's it?"

"Later, Princess Zhaoyang was taken away by someone sent by the Queen Mother, and Wei Chen left the palace alone. As for what kind of punishment the Princess received from the Queen Mother later, Wei Chen does not know."

Emperor Ningkang looked at Jia Lian carefully, then turned back to the imperial case.

"I know more about you and Zhaoyang than anyone else.

You don't have to worry about her either.

Although the Supreme Emperor deprived her of her position as eldest princess, she is my most beloved princess and I will not treat her badly.

On the other hand, since you are determined to restore the glory of your ancestors and shoulder the heavy responsibility entrusted to you by me, how can you be hindered by the affairs of your children?

Since you said that firearms are ten times and a hundred times more powerful than ordinary weapons on the battlefield, I hope to see you soon to verify this.

Next, except for the condolences in the palace, which you must not miss without any reason, and then the funeral for the concubine, you do not need to accompany her.

After I return to Beijing, I will personally go to the firearms camp to test the effectiveness of your special training. I hope you will not disappoint me! "

"The minister obeys the order."

Jia Lian stood up and glanced at Emperor Ning Kang to make sure that he had no further instructions before leaving.

When he left the palace, he was sweating silently.

Although there is a shock, there is no danger.

It seemed that Concubine Li's death was most likely over, and he no longer had to hide from Emperor Ning Kang with his tail between his legs.

On the other hand, Emperor Ning Kang's last words revealed a lot of meaning, and he couldn't comprehend them all for a while.

The only thing he knew was that Emperor Ning Kang wanted to send Concubine Li to the funeral in person.

Not surprising.

Although the emperor could not leave Beijing easily, it was reasonable and reasonable to attend the funeral for his biological mother.

The most important imperial mausoleum of the Wei Dynasty is located in Xiaoci County in the west, more than a hundred miles away from Beijing.

According to past experience, it takes almost a month for civil and military officials to go to the funeral once.

Based on this calculation, Emperor Ningkang's return to Beijing coincided with the end of his special training at the firearms camp...

For some reason, Jia Lian always felt that Emperor Ning Kang seemed to pay more attention to the firearm camp in his hands. (End of chapter)